Cynthia S. Dowd

Cynthia S. Dowd is a Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair at The George Washington University. She also serves as Chair of Graduate Admissions. Her research focuses on antibiotic and antiviral drug discovery, targeting human pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Plasmodium falciparum through structure-guided ligand design.

• Education: BA (University of Virginia, 1993), PhD (Virginia Commonwealth University, 1999)

Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches in organic synthesis and biochemical evaluation to validate novel therapeutic targets. Students in her lab gain hands-on experience in molecular modeling, design, synthesis, and biological testing.

She teaches advanced organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry courses, including 2152 Organic Chemistry 2, 6251 Advanced Organic Chemistry, and 6350 Medicinal Chemistry. Her research has been highlighted in World Tuberculosis Day 2025 discussions by the ACS.